Stop-motion for looms.



No. 837,110. PATENTED NOV. 27, 1906.

- H. W. OWEN. v

STOP MOTION FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.12,1906.

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PATENTED NOV. 27, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT W. OW'EN, OE DOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOCHARLES H. FISH, OF DOVER, NElV HAMPSHIRE.

STOP-MOTION FOR LOOIVIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 27, 1906.

Application filed January 12, 1905. Serial No. 240,674.

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT WV. OWEN, of Dover, county of Strafford, andState of New Hampshire, have invented an Improvement in Stop\iotions forLooms, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specifica tion, like letters on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

The present invention relates to a loom, and is embodied in a novelstop-motion device for stopping the loom when the filling or weft breaksor the supply thereof becomes exhausted.

The purpose of the invention is to obtain a filling-detector which canbe manufactured at less expense than the so-called filling forksheretofore commonly used, a further purpose of the invention being tolessen the liability of accidental operation of the fillingdetector whenthe thread is not present.

In the construction now commonly employed the filling-fork is providedwith a plurality of fingers which are arranged to register with theopenings in a grating or rack carried by the lay, the members of thegrating serving to hold the thread substantially taut, so that saidthread will tip'the filling-fork when it engages the fingers thereof. Inthis case the tension of the thread depends wholly upon the frictionbetween the thread and the members of the grating, and it is necessary,therefore, that there should be a number of such members, four or fivebeing commonly employed, and also that the said members should be closetogether. Similarly the filling-fork must be supplied with a finger orprong corresponding to each space between the grate-bars, and as thespaces are necessarily narrow it is obvious that if any one of thefingers becomes slightly bent it may engage one of the bars, so that thedetector will be operated when the lay beats up, whether the thread ispresent or not. Since these fingers are necessarily light, beingcommonly made of fine wire, it frequently happens that a finger becomesbent so asto engage a grate-bar, in which case the loom will continuerunning after the filling-thread has become broken or exhausted.

In accordance with the present invention it is not necessary to providethe detector with more than one finger, the construction, therefore,having the advantage not only of lessening the cost-of the detector, butalso of making the same lighter and more easily operated. Furthermore,the grating or rack is dispensed with, and no preliminary adjustment ofthe fork is necessary to insure the proper operation of the stopmotion.

To accomplish the purposes above set forth and to obviate the necessityof using the grate, the loom is provided with means for holding thethread stationary between the shed and the shuttle as the lay heats up,so that the said thread will be under sufficient tension to tip thedetector and prevent the operation of the stop-motion device. This maybe accomplished by providing the lay with what may be termed a nippermember to come into contact with the surface of the lay, nipping orpinching the thread behind the shuttle as the lay beats up. In theconstruction shown to illustrate the invention the, said nipper memberconsists of a finger pivotally supported upon the lay and locatedbetween the end of the reed and the shuttle-box, the said finger beingprovided with actuating mechanism operated in response to thebackward-and-forward movement of the lay to carry the said fingeralternately out of the path of the shuttle as the lay moves back andinto contact with the surface of the lay as the lay moves forward, so asto nip the thread after the shuttle has carried the said thread across.The lay is provided, as in the ordinary construction, with a transverserecess to receive the engag ing member or finger of a filling-detectorpivoted upon the head of the machine to control the stopmotion, it beingunnecessary, however that the said filling-detector in this instanceshould be provided with a plurality of fingers or that a grating shouldbe used, since the thread is held under tension between the shed and theshuttle by means of the nipper above described. It is obvious,therefore, that a very light detector member rovid ed with a singlefinger maybe employed and that the entire space ordinarily cut acrossthe surface of the lay to accommodate the ordinary filling-fork whichhas a plurality of fingers may be left, as usual, thus allowingsufficient space to prevent accidental operation of the stop-motion incase the detectorfinger becomes bent laterally.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a sufficient portion of the loom-frameto illustrate the inally supported. The filling-detector coopcrates inthe usual way with the lever B, operated by a cam B upon the, cam-shaft,so as to move the slide A and stop the loom if the filling-detector hasnot been engaged by the filling-thread and moved out of the path of thelever B.

In accordance with the present invention the filling-detector a may beconstructed with a single finger a the thread being provided withsufiicient tension to rock or tip the detector by providing the loomwith means whereby the thread is held at a point between the reed andthe shuttle at the time when the said thread has been beaten up intotheshed. ForthispurposethelayOisprovided with a nipper member 0, hereinshown as a finger pivotally supported at between the reed and theshuttle-box, the said finger 0 preferably being covered withsomeyielding substance, such as rubber, (herein indicated by thereference-letter 0 so that the thread D will be nipped between saidfinger and the surface of the lay, as best indicated in Fig. 2. It isdesirable that the said finger 0 should be operated through a yieldingforce, as that of a spring, this being especially desirable for theprevention of accidental breakage in case the shuttle should lie in thepath of the finger c at the time the lay beats u While, therefore, inaccordance with the invention the finger or nipper member 0 or theequivalent thereof may be operated in any suitable or usual way, it isherein shown as operated by means of a flexible strap d, which issecured by a screw 0 to the hub c of the finger c. The said flexiblememberdis shown as connected at its ends with springs d and (P,respectively, the spring (1 in the construction shown being connected at6 with the pitman E, which connects the lay with the crank F upon thecrank-shaft F, the said spring d having sufficient tension to hold thefinger c normally in the position shown in Fig. 1. The spring 61 on theother hand, is connected at A with a portion of the loom-frame A, sothat as the lay 0 beats up the said spring (1 is brought under tension,as shown in Fig. 2,

and the said spring is strong enough to overcome the tension of thespring d causing the finger c to be brought into contact with thesurface of the lay C, so as to nip the thread'D and hold the same tautbetween the shed and ger c if any solid substance lies in the path ofthe finger cas, for example, would be the case if the shuttle were to beretarded so as to come under the finger at the end of the beating-upmovement.

When the lay C is in the position shown in Fig. 1, the tension of thespring (2 is relieved and the finger c is held, as shown, out of thepath of the shuttle by means of the spring 01 and substantially at thisperiod the shuttle is thrown across, carrying with it the thread. As thelay beats up the spring (1 is ut under to the position shown in Fig. 2,thus nipping the thread D at a point between the shuttleboX and theshed, so that the said thread stands taut in the path of thedetectors-finger (1 causing the detector a to be rocked on its pivot, sothat thelever B in its movement will produce no corresponding movementof the slide A As the lay C moves back the tension of the spring d isrelieved, and the spring (1 will act to carry the finger c to theposition shown in Fig. 1, so as to be out of the path of the shuttle inits return movement.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the filling-forksmay be much more simply and me); ensively constructed than heretoforeand that they may also be made lighter and more sensitive, this being ofgreat advantage in weaving fine yarns, while it is practicable to affordsufficient room for the detector-finger a to obviate the liability ofthe engagement with said finger of some portion of the lay or partscarried thereby in case the said finger is slightly bent out of sha e.

If is not intended to limit the invention to the specific constructionherein shown and described, since modifications may obviously be madewithout departing from the invention, the salient feature of whichconsists in means for temporarily holding the thread at a point betweenthe shed and the shuttle-box.

What I claim is- 1. In a loom, a lay; a filling-detector pivotallysupported on the frame; a finger on the lay to hold the thread when itengages said detector; and means formoving said finger toward and fromthe lay to prevent interference with the shuttle.

2. In a loom, a lay; a filling-detector in the path of thefilling-thread when the lay beats up; and means mounted on the lay fornipping the thread on the lay between the shed and the shuttle, to causesaid thread to act on said detector.

tension, causing the finger c to roc forward 3. In a loom, a lay; afilling-detector to be acted on by the thread; a nipper member carriedby the lay and means operated by the lay in the movement thereof foractuat- 5 mg said nipper member to engage and hold the thread betweenthe shed and the shuttle.

4. The combination with a fillingdetector,

of a lay; a finger pivotally supported on the lay; a spring connectedwith said finger and I0 with a part movable with the lay to hold saidfinger out of the path of the shuttle; and a second spring alsoconnected with said finger and connected with the loom-frame to holdsaid finger and cause the movement thereof in the beating-up movement ofthe lay.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

HERBERT W. OWEN.

Witnesses:

' C. H. FISH,

SARAH C. HAMILTON.

